UKC

Heading to Chamonix in late June for the first time ever. Any tips on places to stay, routes etc would be much appreciated! Hoping to do some long easy 'ice' routes and rock routes. I've done a bit of winter climbing and pretty happy on E1/E2 trad if that helps!
Cheers!

In reply to markflanagan:

campsite in agrentiere is nice but having a car makes it more practical. if ur sans automobile id stay in the campsite in town as its walking distance to the main cable cars that you will want to use (the midi & the brevant).

chere coloir on the mont blanc du tacul is a good ice route thats done year round. a couple of easier ice/mixed on that face worth doin are contamine mazeaud & left edge. all easy access from the midi.

in terms of rock routes there is a lifetime of stuff to do but a few worth doing to get you familiar with the areas are.....frison roche (le brevant), pappillons ridge (off the plan) and the rebuffat on the south face of the midi. if u have an extended stay and want some hard crack climbing then head up and stay at the envers hut for a few days. you wont be disappointed.

dave

In reply to markflanagan:
Guess it very much depends on your definitions of long and easy, but a few route ideas that spring to mind on the ice front would be...

Aiguille du Chardonnet, Migot Spur (classic snow and ice line, about 500m long, crux is maybe Scottish III?)
Tour Ronde, North Face (same as Migot Spur)
Triangle du Tacul, Contamine-Mazeaud/Contamine-Grisolle/Chere Couloir (go to the summit of Mont Blanc du Tacul Tacul from each of these and it's a pretty long day out; again about 500m to the summit with cruxes in the Scottish III sort of territory, bit harder for the Chere)
Mont Blanc du Tacul, Afanasieff-Bodin (really nice, infrequently travelled route to the summit of the Tacul; about 600m long with a crux at Scottish IV level)

And on the rock front...

Aiguille du Grepon, Grepon-Mer de Glace (long route, mostly easy with an HVS crux)
Premiere Pointe des Nantillions, Guy-Ann/Bienvennue/Amazonia (all amazing routes about 350m/12 or so pitches long, generally sustained HVS to E1/E2)

And combining both...

Mont Blanc, Kuffner Arete (nothing hard, but is long, committing and at altitude; fantastic route)
And not forgetting, every Brit's favourite, the Frendo Spur!!

If you judge the weather right, these are typically all in condition in late June

In reply to davkeo:

Cheers Dave, is a car worth it? We don't have one booked but probably could get one if it was worth the money.

In reply to markflanagan:

Cars are super useful, but many people seem to cope just fine with the buses and trains, which stop pretty close by to all of the right lifts, and have recently started running later in the evenings.

Hitchhiking is still a very effective way of getting up and down the valley as well, at any time of day.

In reply to markflanagan:

If the weather is poor, then it's useful to have a car so you can get stuff done in other valleys. If not, if it's only a short trip, you can get by with hitching/train/buses and being in argentiere means you'd have to get to yourselves to Cham to get up the midi/montenvers.

In reply to markflanagan:

Chamonix is defo a place u can get by without a car. Iv managed both times without but Luckily have not had to endure extended bad weather. Having transport gives u the option of going thru the tunnel to climb in Italy if weather is bad in Cham as it can often be better on the other side of the range.

How long u going for?

In reply to davkeo:

Going for 9 days. So hopefully should be a big enough window. Though from what I hear that's a relatively short trip to Chamonix...

In reply to markflanagan:

I'd say car hire will generally a waste of money for a first trip. All the lifts around Chamonix are accessible on foot or by free shuttle bus. Plenty to go at without a car. Easy transfer from Geneva. Easy to take a bus to Courmayeur and then take the cable car on that side. If money is no object then it would give you more options for sure further a field.

In reply to markflanagan:

I tended to stay in gite vagabond which is clean, relatively cheap and has a good bar. Only few mins walk from centre of chamonix. Also they used to let you leave spare gear in lock up while you were on the hill which is great as storage always a problem without a car.

In reply to davkeo:


Yesterday drizzle and 8° in Chamonix. Sun and cloud and 18° in Courmayeur...

In reply to jon:

Still no car needed as they have busses going to Courmayeur for 15 EUR each way.

In reply to Sir Stefan:

Whoosh.